For thousands of years, yogis have known mantras whether chanted, whispered, or silently recited, to be a powerful tool for meditation and therapy. Now, us Westerners, seeking peace from a chaotic world, are wising up to the power of healing with sound.
Chetana Annette has been living and working in the Balearics all her adult life. Originally from Germany she worked in Ibiza in events first before landing in Mallorca which has been her home ever since. She founded Bodhana Wellness Centre in Portals which established itself as a place of excellence for massage, meditation and yoga. She is also the organiser for the highly anticipated “Deva Premal and Miten” concert coming to the Auditorium in Palma this June.
Q.— How would you describe Deva Premal and Miten?
A. — They are a very special and unique duo of musicians, and a couple as well. They met in 1990 at an ashram in India. At the time, Miten was a singer and composer with groups and artists like Fleetwood Mac, Lou Reed and Ry Cooder. But the rock business made him feel empty and there was no meaning in his life. So he left everything behind, even sold his guitars and joined the Osho commune in India. Deva, who was born in Germany, was actually trained in massage and bodywork. She also had a background in classical music and taught herself Sanskrit. When they met they started to make music together and they started to sing mantras. They recorded their first ever album, called Essence, at Deva’s mother´s house. They made 1000 copies for friends and places like yoga studios and massage places to use during sessions and have since sold hundreds of thousands. They are icons and pioneers in their field, bringing the practice of mantra singing to a big audience way before there was social media. Their first album included Deva singing the Gayatri Mantra, which is one of the most powerful and ancient mantras, and their particular version became very well known all over the world. Many people started listening and using their music for yoga, meditation and relaxation, amongst them Cher, Eckhart Tolle and the Dalai Lama, who have been ‘fans’ right from the beginning, talking very highly about the beauty of it! And since then, they have not looked back.
They have found the right mix, when they perform in concert they are quite unique. It’s an unbelievable experience. They sing the mantras and encourage the audience to also sing, and if you allow yourself to participate you kind of melt into the music and the group, it’s an incredible feeling of togetherness. And then when the mantra has finished everyone sits in silence together, there is no applause, no clapping. Miten says that we sing together, and we’re all in this together, so there’s nobody needing to clap somebody else. It’s about disappearing, that the ego dissolves and you actually experience and live the oneness of everything. The silence is just as important as the music.
This peace allows you to feel and integrate the energy that has just moved in your mind and body.
Deva and Miten say they are simply the messengers of the mantras, they deliver them. But it is not just the mantra itself that is powerful, but singing together with the audience is the beautiful part. We are all one and this evening allows us to experience that together. They say that the main purpose of their music is to be a gateway to meditation. Because without meditation and without connecting to the centre of our inner silence, life is meaningless. Without silence, you receive only half the story. Silence is there because there is music you just need to notice. It’s very healing to allow us to tune in with it. For them, and for me, there is nothing more precious than to sing with the audience from the heart with joy, and then enter the deep silence that the mantra brings ... so deep, that with closed eyes you really feel that no one else is there ... everything is dissolving for a small sacred moment.
How do the concerts affect the people attending them?
A. — People always find them to be unique and emotional. There is a unity in the community of everyone coming together, there is a very deep group meditation. But then there’s other people who have never even heard of meditation or heard any of the songs and they have just loved it. They couldn’t believe that a 1000 plus people could feel as one, unified in the same huge energy field.
Q.— What are mantras used for?
A. — The term “mantra,” which comes from the Sanskrit language, means sacred sound. Mantra can also be split up into its root Sanskrit words “man,” which means mind, and “tra,” which means to deliver or release. So mantras can act as a tool to ease the mind and release worrisome thoughts. It brings you out of your head. Research suggests that it doesn’t matter whether you recite an ancient Sanskrit mantra such as Sat Nam, the Lord’s Prayer, or any sound, word, or phrase. As long as you repeat something with focused attention, you’ll feel the results. The Indian people from the Hindu religion sing mantras every single morning. They sing to certain gods, such as Shiva, and Ganesha, which both represent different elements. There are mantras that you sing for healing, others for abundance, prosperity, protection, gratefulness, so many reasons!
Q.— How do mantras affect the brain?
A. — Neuroscientists, equipped with advanced brain-imaging tools, have confirmed some of the health benefits of repeating mantras, such as its ability to help clear your mind and calm your nervous system. Eventually that vibration sinks deeper and deeper into your consciousness, helping you to feel its presence as shakti — a powerful, subtle force inside each of us that carries us into deeper states of awareness.
Q.— How can readers practice at home?
A. — Consistency is key, regardless of the mantra you choose. Set aside a few minutes a day to practice, and build up from there. Playing some of Deva Premal and Miten’s music on Spotify is a good place to start! Sit in a comfortable position, and when other thoughts or feelings come into your mind acknowledge them and then return to reciting the mantra. Try to stick with one mantra for a few weeks or even months in order to deepen your practice and start developing that feeling of peace and ease. Very effective and profound are the 108 times repetitions: the number has a lot of meanings, we have 108 energetic lines in our body, according to the Hindu Vedas, and if we repeat the mantra 108 times it really goes into your body and you soak it in. It can relieve us of tension and fill us with this light that these mantras bring. So normally repeating 108 times is what Hindus do, every morning, and evening as well.
Q.— You brought the duo to the island in 2012 and 2013, how did you first meet them?
A. — I have been listening to them from the beginning of their career together. We actually stocked the first CD at Bodhana and sold it at cost to anyone who wanted it! People were always asking me about them. I found that Miten, Deva and I had many friends in common, even though we had never met each other. Then eventually our paths crossed through Facebook and mutual friends, and then I met their road manager in India and had the opportunity to bring them to the island in 2012 and 2013. It’s been too long since they were last here and I am very happy that they are coming back! For anyone who wants to come and see them and experience the inspiring combination of mantras, songs and silence, I know that we will have a profound and beautiful evening.
Tickets for “Singing Our Prayers”, the Deva Premal and Miten concert, are available at the Auditorium Palma box office, at the Bodhana Wellness Centre in Puerto Portals or online.
For more info contact Chetana +34 639 93 5776, info@bodhana.com, www.bodhana.com The concert will be on Wednesday, June 26 at 7.30pm at the Auditorium Palma.